Botany and Zoology. 237 



"Professor Brnun remarks that the best way to follow in de- 

 termining the direction of the spiral is to follow the indication of 

 the object itself. It is the animal or plant which ascends or de- 

 scends, or goes to the right or the left. Again, in the case of an 

 • position of an observer is oi no con-eopience. We can 

 ish'the right and left sides of the animal, not from our 

 position in relation to it, but according to the conformation ofthe 

 animal itself. The animal cannot speak to us and tell us which is 

 his left and which his liolit Hank, but we, speaking animals, arc 

 able to do so." 



That is to say, the animal — or rather the vertebrate animal — 

 • ari i : trout and back, has consequently a right side and a left, 



nor back, therefore neither right nor left. When we predicate 



right or left of a stem, or of a flower had, obviously it is the right 

 or left of a viewing person. DeCandolle's illustrations concede 

 this, although that of Braun ignores the distinction. When "in 

 the case of a river the universal practice is to call the left bank 

 that to the left hand of an observer supposed to be following the 

 natural onward course of the stream," this is because it is more 

 natural to go with the current, and it is the traveler's not the 

 rivcr*s. right that is designated. So the difference between the 

 two schools in the case in hand resolves itself im ■ ' 

 which the observer is supposed to occupy. "31. DeCand le." 

 following Linnaeus, "supposes himself in the center of the coil" 

 in the case of a twining stem. Bentham an 1 I >unv msiippose 

 themselves on the outside, — a more feasible position, as it seems 

 to us, and its naturalness is recognized bv the mechanic, who 

 everywhere regards the common screw as a right handed screw. 

 and that in , . -,, wards the left of the outside 



observer as a left handed screw. If this is the natural way to look 

 ar ^ screw, whv not the natural way to look at a twisted stem, or 

 a coiled stem? Wherefore we conclude that this way oi regard- 

 ing the case, a> practiced bv Bentham and 1 >arwin. is coming into 

 vogue in spite of Linna an authority, on account of its intrinsic 

 reasonableness and convenience. A - '- 



2. A Botanical Necrology of 1876.— The list is headed by the 

 wngiUBhed name of 



. Adolphk Tiikoim.uk Bkoxoniaut, who died in January. l> <«.*., 

 jnst when he had completed the 75th year of bis ag< . 

 U ^ T "I his . hi .rions began in the war IS-'o. md was mter- 



the year 1875 - - ; - in fossil botany, 



which were in h ■ unfinished. The 



bulletin of the Botanical Society <>f France, under date of Feb. 

 25 » contains the touehiu' and instructive funeral discourses pro- 

 nounced by his . Decaiane, Bureau, Jour- 

 da »n, Chatiii, and others. 



John- Joseph Bknmi'i the associate of Robert Brown in all 

 the latter part of his life, and his successor as keeper of the Her- 



